They took turns heaving sand. They pushed politics to the side. They dug — many with plastic shovels — their own path.

"The beauty is that these are the people who love it," said Diane Lustig, who shoveled and hoed sand for seven hours Tuesday and has been warning local officials for months about the potential disaster of the sand-pinched pass. "This is proof it can be done."

The father and son — Rod and Alec MacKay from Hinsdale, Ill. — beamed with pride at the sight of ankle-high water flowing through the 4-foot-deep trench toward the mangroves. They were even more impressed with the outpouring response.

"In the beginning, people didn't know what to think," said Rod MacKay, 50. "Then when they found out what we were doing and they started pitching in."

Rod MacKay, who has a vacation home in North Naples, said he noticed the "ugly demise" of Clam Pass during a Thanksgiving weekend visit and told his son if it hadn't improved by Christmas, they would do something.

Father and son started digging with another father and son Saturday morning. Rod MacKay said they got a minor path cut out on Day 1. They took Sunday off and returned Monday to find reinforcements — more people wanting to help.

Rod MacKay, who works in private wealth management when he's not digging ditches, went out and bought six shovels. By Tuesday, word had spread down the beach and even more people showed up to help. MacKay went out and bought more shovels.

"A couple of machines and you could get this fixed in a couple of hours,' said Derrick Luszcz, a 25-year resident of Naples. "But then there is politics. It's sad."

Two communities — Pelican Bay and Seagate — have been divided about the future of the pass. Some Pelican Bay residents want a smaller 40-foot route to be cut through the pass. Seagate, which has seen its boating access to the Gulf disappear with the closing of the pass, wants an 80-foot path.

The county commissioners voted last month to hand over management of Clam Pass to Pelican Bay Services Division, which led a Clam Bay mangrove restoration project in the 1990s and is an arm of the county government. The full Pelican Bay Services Division committee meets today at 1 p.m. for the first time to discuss its newfound responsibilities at Clam Pass. An emergency request already has been made to the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers to the dredge the pass. Attempts Tuesday to reach Jim Hoppensteadt, president of the Pelican Bay Foundation, were unsuccessful.

"The issue is that the politicians aren't fixing the problem," Lustig said.

On Tuesday, residents from Seagate and Pelican Bay put their issues aside and joined in the dig. Beachgoers walked by with questions about the makeshift man-made canal. Some wondered if the eco-conscience effort was even legal.

Rod MacKay admitted being reluctant to talk because of just that issue.

Lustig said she got even more worried earlier Tuesday morning when the Collier Sheriff's beach patrol rolled up on the scene. But she said all the patrol asked was, "Do you think it is going to work?"

"If they want to arrest me for playing in the sand … go ahead," Lustig added.

"We're just digging sand castles," Rod MacKay said as young kids dug nearby with plastic shovels.

Alec MacKay proudly showed off the 10-plus blisters on his hands and a small crab, saying, "I get to save miles of trees and wildlife."

The 13-year-old also spoke highly of his dad.

"He actually cares," Alec said. "Most dads would be, 'whatever.' "

A modest Rod MacKay said he didn't start the project to impress his son or to teach him an environmental lesson.

He said they just did it for fun. The ear-to-ear smile and the amazement on his face as he stepped back and watched the others continue his work proved his point.

"Isn't this remarkable?" Rod MacKay asked, watching the sea of humanity join together for one common cause.

The MacKays know their vacation excavation is only a temporary fix for Clam Pass. But for a few days they did more than start the water flowing from the Gulf to the mangroves. They made people believe in each other.

"This is such a feel-good story," said Carole Fay, a Pelican Bay resident. "With all of the bad news that we have had the past month, it is nice to start the New Year this way."